mrHix01

I recently acquired a trash pile rescue bike and I'm curious about what it is. The only decals/stickers are the ones describing the frame and fork (and the original bike shop). The frame stickers say "Tange Champion #2 Extra CrMo Tange Industries". The dropouts have "Tange TR" stamped on them. The fork and dropout area appear to be chrome under the pearl white paint. The fork sticker says "Champion #2 Extra CrMo Tange Industries" There is a serial number on the head tube that is: 4A07422. The bike shop sticker says "Campbell Sports/609 3rd St, Fairbanks AK/(907) 452-2757).

It has a Tange Falcon FL250 Headset, Dia Compe NGC 400 front and rear brakes, Suntour Cyclone II front and rear derailleurs, Sugino BB, Thun Aero Coronodo XL cranks,Kyokuto Pro Vic II pedals (with clips) and an SR Laprade seat post. It came with the wrong wheels (27" instead of 700c) so I can't use them for ID purposes. It had a 3T handelbar but I don't think it was original. I put on a more period correct (looking) Sakae bar.

any thoughts on make or model? I've done my best Google-fu but it is weak and I have failed. I only paid $100 (including the correct size wheels and my preferred handlebar) and it rides great so I'm happy no matter what it is - I'm just kind of curious.

Lascauxcaveman 

Looks like a pretty nice bike for a benji. The pics sorta make it look like it's been repainted at sometime? More detailed closeups of the lugs, bottom bracket and rear brake bridge may help some of our frame experts here make a good guess.

mrHix01

it definitely seems repainted to me too - except for the frame stickers. They don't look like they were masked around. I suppose the Tange stickers could be new ones added after repaint but the bike shop one seems unlikely to have been done that way. There are 2 holes and a shadow for a head badge but I can't really figure anything out from it.

Fahrenheit531 

My first thought was "That looks a lot like my Tempo." Maybe a high end Japanese-made Schwinn? Is the headbadge shadow round? (By round I don't mean the classic Schwinn oval, but an actual circle.)

[EDIT] Suntour, rather than Shimano, components were on the two bikes ahead of the Tempo in the hierarchy -- Super Sport and Peloton, I believe. Reference your bike's details against mid-to-late 80s Schwinn catalogs, which are all available online. Maybe you'll find a match.

jimmuller 

Sorry I can't help ID it. Never good at that sort of thing anyway.

But I'm curious why you say "wrong" wheels. If you don't know what it is how can you know what it came with originally? From what I can see in those pics the brake pads appear centered in the caliper arm slots, so the slightly larger 27" rim could have been original. Are the rims mismatched perhaps?

mrHix01

>But I'm curious why you say "wrong" wheels.

when I put new 27 x 1-1/4 tires on the rubbed HARD on the brake calipers - to the point the wheel would not role. We put a 700c wheel on and it fit like a glove. I have no way of knowing what's supposed to be on the bike but circumstantial evidence really points the 27" wheels being wrong.

>Is the headbadge shadow round?

the head badge shadow is very round, not oval. I'll google Tempos to check it out.

I have perused Schwinn catalogs and never saw the right combinations of components and non of the frames (lugs) looked the same as my bike. Some Panasonics seem to have a similar frame but the components don't match. I have no idea of what it actually came with but I'm thinking the ones from ~84 are the right ones.

mrHix01

man, I checked out the Tempo and I don't think that's it but I DO think the 1984 Super Sport is pretty darn close. The frame appears to be the same - both Champion 2, both have the same distinctive seat lug, both have a chain holder (which I love BTW). The components that I think are original match - except for the crank. Mine came with a Thun but the Super Sport came with a Sugino. My BB is a Sugino though and a crank could easily have been replaced during its life. Pretty close is all I'm saying. I would be over the moon if it turns out to be a Schwinn Super Sport but like I said, it was cheap and it rides great so I'm happy no matter what it is. I'm going to do a bit more research before I commit to the Super Sport thing though. But it is close. Thanks guys. Any more input/insights would be appreciated.

mrHix01

OK, I'm 99% sure now. My serial number matches the format and location of at least one Super Sport I found on the web. The Thun cranks threw me off but after all these years it's not surprising things got changed.

Comparison of my head tube with a Super Sport one I found on the interwebs:

Fahrenheit531 

NICE! I know I love my Tempo bigtime... if you're a step up from there it's definitely a score.

There's also a Schwinn serial number decoder on the web. Very thorough and complete. Looking at the placement of the number, it is consistent with a Panasonic-built Schwinn, so who knows? Maybe you're "over the moon" with SS glee!

P.S. I got the Tempo -- listed on CL as "old Schwinn 10-speed" -- for the same price: $100. Maybe that's the going rate for unresearched high-end 80s Schwinns these days! hahaha

jimmuller 

I'm still not sure what you mean here. Not that it matters much, but I'm curious. Also cautioning you not to jump to conclusions too quickly.

Within limits brakes are highly adjustable, of course. The fact that 700c wheels seem to fit simply means that someone adjusted the brakes for them. That tires rubbed with 1 1/4" tires on 27" wheels could mean many things. A 27" wheel has a 4mm larger radius than 700c. So if the brake pads are adjusted correctly for a correctly mounted 700c wheel, they should be too low, i.e. further from the tire, for a 27" wheel. Which is to say the brake pads shouldn't hit the tire at all. Maybe you meant rims, not tires?

A 1 1/4" (32mm) tire is fairly wide and tall compared to other common tires such as 25mm. Perhaps you meant you couldn't get the tire through the brakes. Do the levers or calipers have a quick-release mechanism to facilitate pulling a wheel to change a tire? Are the brakes simply adjusted too close to the rim? Rims come in different widths, so brakes adjusted for one rim may be too tight or loose for another. Or maybe the problem wasn't brakes, but that the larger tire rubbed on the frame somewhere. If that's the case then it does seem like the frame was designed for 700c and has tight clearance.

mrHix01

It wasn't the brake pads that were the problem, it was the tire. The tread of the tire rubbed up against the lower surface of the brake arms - and like I said, hard to the point the tire wouldn't roll. It wasn't a pad adjustment issue and there is no way to move the brake mechanism in or out relative to the center of the wheel. Even moving the wheel forward/aft in the dropout didn't help. The guy I bought it from runs and has run a LBS for many, many years. His first thought was to try a 1-1/8 tire but he told me to put a 700c wheel he had on to see what that did while he changed out the tire. When he saw the 700c wheel on it, he said "that's it, it's a 700c bike" and didn't bother with trying to change tires.

And if the bike actually is a Super Sport like I'm now 99% sure it is, it is supposed to have 700c wheels.

here's a pic of the rear brake with the 700c wheel. that's a 700x23 tire, I got a cut in that one and replaced it with a 25 - still fits. There was no gap at all (interference actually) between the outside of the tire and the brake arms with the 27" wheel with the 27x1-1/4 tire. I could get the pads to work with both size wheels. I didn't take a pic with the 27" wheel.

mrHix01

The decoders I've run across seem to give up around 1982. But based on a known Super Sport having a serial number in the same place and with the same format as mine, I'm convinced of the bike's Super Sportiness. Knowing what it actually is makes me happy but I loved it when it was just the mystery bike. I still feel like a dope for researching so much and not figuring out it was a Schwinn. I think I just figured no one would have changed the crank so it couldn't be a Schwinn because non of them came with a Thun. I have no idea why I thought it wouldn't have gotten changed. Just dopey I guess.

Thanks for your help guys - especially you J.Oxley for your Tempo suggestion. That really got me pointed in the right direction. I wish I'd posted sooner, I've been scratching my head for months now.

TugaDude

Definitely a SS, now how/why did they remove the decals and headbadge? Took some effort to get the decals off I'd bet. Enjoy, nice bike for a hundy!

zazenzach

https://waterfordbikes.com/SchwinnCat...0/1982_07.html
https://waterfordbikes.com/w/culture/schwinn-catalogs/

search through the schwinn catalogues. the '82 didn't use Champion #2 or come in that color. then again, it could be a repaint with false tube decals.

70-82 had serials on the headtube like yours, but i thought they were supposed to start with 2 letters, not a number. it was after then that Greenville started doing the letter-number combination. But those should be on the headbadge not the headtube.

that info and the 700c wheels lead me to think mid 80's

EDIT- Almost positive it's an '84
https://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1...984Ltwt18.html

mrHix01

pictures I've seen (now that I know what it is) of other 1984 Super Sports show the decals on most are in bad shape. They seem to be pretty fragile - especially the top tube ones. I'm thinking they got ratty at some point and the owner just rubbed/scraped them the rest of the way off. I'd love to get replacement decals (and maybe even a head badge) but I haven't found ones that look right.

TugaDude

+1. 1984 for sure. Color is spot on.

Fahrenheit531 

Go to eBay: cycling and search for Schwinn decals. There's a TON of 'em, including the '80s decals, in various colors. Decent prices too.
I ended up going period-incorrect on my Tempo. Went with the cool oldschool decals and kept it simple. I think it ended up pretty sharp. If we ever get some sun here in PDX I'll finally be able to get a decent pic to post. haha

mrHix01

I've been to ebay and I haven't seen the correct looking ones for 1984, certainly not Super Sport specific. I did see the 70s style super sport decals with their snazzy fork starburst things and I thought about putting those on. I think that if I do "restore" it, I'd like to make it as correct as possible. I'm not all that motivated to restore it though, I like it in its cheap,anonymous disguise. I wouldn't mind a head badge though. It looks kind of naked without one.

Fahrenheit531 

I don't know what color you're looking for, but these are the '84 decal style. There aren't any I can find with the Super Sport (or Tempo, for that matter) top tube decal. You can always leave that blank until you find one or just rely on your headbadge for ID... the higher models had the model name on the badge in the spot where lower models just say "quality."

Anyway, that style decal is up in several colors. Something to consider.

The Golden Boy 

That does seem to be a trait of the 1984 Schwinns... bad decals.

mrHix01

I saw those and considered them but the color for the Pearl White seemed to be either silver or silver/white. I was thinking of asking the seller if he has or can get some silver ones and/or Super Sport ones. Velocals has 1984 Schwinn stickers that they make in any color but not Super Sport. I would be happy with just the down tube "SCHWINN" and even happier if I could also get the seat tube "S" stripes. Happiest would include the top tube "Super Sport".

Fahrenheit531 

The color combination, with both the down and seat tube decals, shouldn't be too hard. I know I saw silver/white while I was shopping for mine, and they were sold as a set. The trick is that little Super Sport decal. Maybe you'll get lucky.

The unpredictable PDX weather made me happy today. Here's my Tempo, first as purchased, then as it sits today. Old-style decals plus lug detailing. I'd call it "mostly finished."







I suppose a purist will tell me I wrecked it. On the other hand, I really like the classic simplicity and the fact that there (most probably) isn't another like it. Either way I'm sure that original decal set looked super cool on the black Tempos. On champagne? Ugh.

3speedslow

Late to the mystery bike party. I would have to say,having both Super Sport 87 and Tempo 88, that frame did look like the Schwinn marque.

I can certainly understand why you like the ride.

mrHix01

J.Oxley, that is a sweet looking bike. I don't think the "old school" decals hurt it. That's what I like about these bikes, they're old and classic, but not so rare and collectable that you can't modify to suit your preference. I'm thinking about going even more old school and putting decals like this on:



I really do need to find me a head badge. I just want to be able to tell people what the bike is when they ask (if they ask).

I rode it today again and knowing what it is didn't make it ride any better but it sure rides nice. I like this bike.

Fahrenheit531 

I think those'd be sweet. I considered the script logo for mine as well. And yeah, the "not really a collectible" thing was key in my decision for customization. I also didn't clear coat over the decals so I can always go back to original if I decide I want an ugly, bland bike.

I'll poke around the interwebs for a headbadge, just because I like doing that sort of thing these days. Maybe between the two of us we'll find ya one.